Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime. The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since. Given those guidelines, it is time once again to look at the now 107 actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of July 1.
We continue today with the twelve actors that have starred in exactly 15 movies that I have seen, an increase of three from 3 years ago.
Amy Adams
Amy Adams made her first appearance on my screen in 2001, when I watched the repurposed television pilot that became Cruel Intentions 2. She returned in 2008, starting a run of eight films in four years. After a five-year absence, she returned in 2022 with the previous year’s The Woman In The Window.
Jamie Lee Curtis
My first experience with the former teenage scream queen was likely one of the first two Halloween films, the franchise that is responsible for nearly 47% of the films on this list. After a seven-year lull, she returned with the latest reboot/continuation of the Halloween franchise, culminating in 2022’s Halloween Ends.
Will Ferrell
The SNL alum first streaked on to the list of film actors I’ve seen in 2003 with Old School. Since then, his appearances have been pretty consistent, with 2012-2013 being the longest streak of him not appearing on my screen. The most recent film of his I’ve seen was 2013’s Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, which I finally saw last year.
Anne Hathaway
Like most of America, I first saw Anne Hathaway on the silver screen back in 2003 in The Princess Diaries. In the intervening years, she had been a steadfast presence on my movie (or television) screen, including three films in 2005 and four in 2009. Things have slowed a bit this decade, with her latest appearance being 2019’s The Hustle, which I saw in 2020.
Angelina Jolie
Her last appearance on my screen is still in 2012, when I saw her in Changeling.
Steve Martin
The last starring role of his that I saw remains 2005’s Shopgirl, which I saw in 2009.
Julia Stiles
1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You was my first exposure to Julia Stiles. She had been a steady presence since, picking up ten films between 1999 and 2008. She managed to score multiple films in both 2001 and 2006. Things have been spotty since, with only five films over the past fifteen years, with the latest being 2022’s Orphan: First Kill, which I saw earlier this year.
Charlize Theron
2000 brought Charlize Theron’s starring roles into my life in a big way, when she debuted with three films in one year. She has been pretty consistent since, with mini-streaks in 2004-2005, 2007-2008, 2012-2013, and 2015-2016. Her last appearances were a double shot in 2020, with 2019’s Long Shot followed by 2003’s Monster.
Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn splashed on to the scene in 1996’s Swingers, which I saw in 1998. Since then, he has been fairly consistent, with me seeing a film of his either every year or every other year through the early 2010s. Things slowed down after 2011, when I saw both Psycho and The Dilemma. After a five-year absence, he returned to my screen in 2021, when I saw the previous year’s breakout horror hit Freaky.
Mark Wahlberg
The former leader of the Funky Bunch first moved over to movies with Fear, in which he costarred with another star at this level, in 1996. There have been 4 years since where I have seen multiple Wahlberg flicks, most recently in 2018. The last film of his that I saw was the second of those 2018 flicks, 2017’s Transformers: The Last Knight.
Robin Williams
Seeing as he is no longer walking the Earth, 2008 is still both my biggest Williams year and my last time seeing his films, thanks to Jack, License To Wed, and The Night Listener.
Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon crashed into my movie going consciousness in 1996 with two entries, the aforementioned Fear and Freeway. A six-year streak started in 1999 and finished in 2004 with the sequel to Legally Blonde. She last crossed my path, at least on the silver screen, in 2020, when I watched 2017’s Home Again.